34 Easy Ways to Make Your Guitar Solos and Improvisations More Interesting by Shawn Persinger

On first glance this list of “34 Easy Ways to Make Your Guitar Solos and Improvisations More Interesting: For All Levels, Styles and Situations” should seem obvious to many intermediate and advanced players. But a closer look will indicate that you a actually meant focus your attention on any one of these techniques/approaches for an entire solo. For example I am suggesting soloing with only one finger for two to three minutes. Then try a different finger. Then try two to three minutes of only doing slides. Or try restricting yourself to using only three different notes. It is the idea of serious limits that we want to have work within. This demands we as players do at least two things.

1. It makes us become as creative as possible. Just how many different ways can you use grace notes? How many different vibratos can you employ? Can you play an entire melody by bending only one initial note and then coaxing all the other pitches out of that one starting point?

2. It really centers our attention on one seemingly simple idea and you start to realize there is a lot more to any given technique than you thought. After two to three minutes of only performing slides you learn that there is a lot more to a slide then just moving from one fret to another. How many frets should you slide? How fast should you slide? How slow can you slide? How long can you sustain one attack, sliding from note to note to note? How often do you slide with your pinky? Etc. The possibilities of each of these techniques is limitless but only with sustained concentration.

PRACTICE ROUTINE

1. Record short chord vamp your choice (or just try Am to D), for two to three minute.

2. Play corresponding scale(s). Ascending and descending. Play the scale a few times with rhythmic variations. If you go with my vamp suggestion Am – D then play the G Major Scale, this will give you a Dorian sound a la Carlos Santana.

3. Solo focusing on only one of the techniques listed below. Take a break after two to three minutes. Try it again with a different technique.

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